Lions vs. Vikings Free NFL Picks for Week 5

It’s not been a great start for Jared Goff and the Lions, but it doesn’t look like they’re letting it get to them and they’ve kept going to the end in each contest so far. They take on a Vikings team who’ve kept games close but haven’t had the luck so far, will that turn around for them on Sunday? The Vikings come into this one just over a TD favorite on the spread lines and that’s come down a little from earlier in the week. The total is 49.

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 01:00 PM EDT at U.S. Bank Stadium

Can the Lions Get On the Board?

At the moment the Lions look like the most talent-poor team in the league and it’s playing out that way. They traded away Matthew Stafford and got Jared Goff and some picks in return, the picks are the better part of that deal.

https://youtu.be/9Hk1ektkprA

When you’re looking at Quintez Cephus as your leading receiver it’s not going to be an easy task winning games. He, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Kalif Raymond did the best they could but it’s not a winning roster.

TJ Hockenson is the usual leader in targets as was the case on Sunday and probably will be in this matchup as well. He’s caught 22 of his 30 targets this season for 2 TDs. He’s been reliable and as the most veteran of the pass-catching group, he’ll have to do that for the rest of the season.

The Lions moved the ball well at the weekend but couldn’t find the endzone, failing on 4 of their 5 visits to the business end of the field. They seemed to have Jamaal Williams as the main runner with D’Andre Swift getting more of the passing work for the team. It may well be a busy night for him as I am expecting the Vikings to put up points against a poor defense.

https://twitter.com/HawkeyeFootball/status/1402335652239319047

Will the Vikings Get an Important Win?

It seems a lot of people think the Vikings have been unlucky so far this season, they came back against the Bengals and had a debatable fumble, but didn’t get it done in OT. They missed a 37-yard field goal which would have won the game against the Cardinals and were involved in a low-scoring game this weekend which they lost by 7. They could have won 3 or 4 by now, but the results are results.

This week was the poorest performance from Kirk Cousins who had been playing well, he threw his first interception of the year but found Justin Jefferson for another home TD. That makes it 3 in the last 3 for JJ now. He and Thielen are moving the ball well and one or both of them will score each weekend. I fancy both in this one.

Kirk Cousins is #8 of the Minnesota Vikings. Adam Bettcher/Getty Images/AFP

They could do with Dalvin Cook getting some health back, and really it would make sense to severely limit his role in a game they’re expected to win. Give Alexander Mattison the work and let Cook have the night off. It will be good for the team in the long run. The Vikings' defense hasn’t been great so far despite only allowing 14 last weekend, so I think both teams should be able to put up points in this one.

How Does It Play Out?

It’s tough to see anything other than a Vikings win, but will they cover over 7 points? I wouldn’t want to back that, but the Vikings have won the last 7 between these teams straight up and covered the spread in 6 of those 7. So the numbers suggest it wouldn’t be the most stupid bet in the world. For my NFL picks, I prefer the Over on the total though. I think both should be able to put up points and a 30-20 kind of result may well be on the cards here.

NFL Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.